Past Blogs posted by RVD about deaths of Wrestlers.
Bam Bam Bigelow: It was an honor to have known him
I
never saw a man as big as Bam Bam that could move like Bam Bam. He was
one of the strongest wrestlers I've ever been in the ring with. Back in
the old ECW days, Bam Bam was the superstar that gave credibility to
our show, and style. On one of my favorite nights of my career, and
possibly the most pivotal, I wrestled Bam Bam in Buffalo NY for the ECW
TV Title. I became champion that night, got the tremendous rub and was
perceived as a superstar on another level ever since. Inside and
outside of the ring, I have a lot of respect for Bam Bam Bigelow, and
it was an honor to have known him.
Congrats to AMW, for catching
916 fugitives since the show began airing. That's incredible. Heroes
starts back up on Monday. It's not too late to join in and get hooked.
Dirt on fx is a new show worth checking out.
Have you seen the Ghost Rider commercials yet? They started airing this week.
Of course you should check out Trish in Armed and Dangerous. Quality show! For real.
Time for me to hit the road again, as always. Have a safe week.
RVD
Goodbye, Mike Awesome...
Greetings readers. I hope everyone reading this is great…but what are the odds of that? Hmm.
I've
said this many times and I'll likely say it many more. The longer you
live the more friends and acquaintances you'll see pass on. This week
we say goodbye to Mike Awesome. I spent time back in the old ECW with
Mike and in WWE in 2001 we shared a car together, often with Shawn
Stasiak. I definitely considered him a friend and miss him already.
I don't have much time so let me drop a few notes and get out of here.
Did
you go see Ghost Rider yet? I enjoyed it and don't mind the changes
they made to adapt the story to the screen. Of course, I would have
done a few things differently, but that's almost always the case. They
have put so many new Ghost Rider collectibles out I'm running out of
room in my Ghost Rider room!
Heroes is back on and still probably my favorite show to watch when I see what Tivo's got in store for me when I get home.
I've
been seeing a lot of footage on the news lately about kids beating
other kids up. They're jumping them, outnumbering them and beating the
crap out of them. This is stupid for so many reasons. In real life, if
you hit someone in the face, you might cave it in. You think that
person deserves to have wire mesh holding their face together for the
rest of their life because you're a stupid kid that doesn't consider
consequences? If watching wrestling, or action movies, or whatever
makes you want to test yourself, go ahead. Do it in a controlled
environment with people who actually want to compete as well. That's
what makes you tough- not surprising victims who you know you can take.
Out of time so I'll be back with an update in a few days. Peace. RVD
This is not a TEST
Hello
everyone, and happy today! It is about time for an RVD blog, right? I
realize I may take too long in between posts, but I start to write
several blogs for weeks before I actually complete and post one, so
that’s how it comes together. In an effort to stay better connected to
you, and to keep up with technology, I’m giving in to several requests
and starting a Twitter account. Sign up to follow what I’m doing at
Twitter@therealRVD
Rob Van Dam (TherealRVD) on Twitter
I hope that each of you had a fantastic easter Sunday, but
statistically speaking, that’s not likely. Hopefully you were in the
percentage of happy holiday havers. What could be better than
celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ by painting and hiding
eggs and pretending a rabbit did it? Yay Easter! Where’s the drink and
food?
We just got back from France, where I wrestled for
the up and coming AWR. It was a good experience being back on the road,
from wrestling nine matches to long bus rides between towns, finding
gyms on the road and hoping to score good food when the bus stopped. A
lot of the things that got to be monotonous before were very tolerable
for me this time. It was second nature to me and I guess some of my
burn-out has cooled off because for the first time I can remember while
over- seas, I wasn’t anxiously counting the hours until my flight home
came. Sonya and I stayed an extra day in Paris and had a great time. On
RVD TV you can see footage from the trip and catch glimpses of Chris
Masters, Sabu, Scotty 2 Hotty, Marty Janetty, Gangrel, Heidenreich,
Renee Dupree and/or other AWR wrestlers. We were looking forward to
seeing Test but unfortunately, he passed away two days before the trip.
I
have no doubt that I would’ve had some kick ass matches with him that
most likely would’ve produced black eyes for one or both of us.
One
thing that’s worth mentioning-I’ve been asked a few times if Test’s
passing put a dark cloud over the whole trip. We were bummed that we
wouldn’t see him again, and all told Test stories to each other, but
sadly, we are all used to this routine. After so many of us have died
prematurely, it’s almost like we’re trained to handle this, and life
goes on. We all took a look at the bus full of wrestlers, and have to
admit to ourselves that there’s a decent chance that next time we all
get together, we may be a smaller group still.
Over the
years I’ve gone from being devastated by news of Louie Spicolli’s
death, to asking “Who died this time?” when someone in the business
asks “Have you heard?”
At 33 years old, Test accidentally
ended his life, while my peers continue to push the envelope. Being
away from a binding contract that kept me on the road, I often feel
like a survivor that made it home from the war. That’s not meant to be
insensitive to war vets that have experienced far worse than I have.
By
the way, as long as we’re talking about it, my views have always
differed from the military mentality. We all have friends or family in
the services and we’re glad that they’re going to the desert instead of
us. However, that doesn’t make them heroes in my mind. While they are
brainwashed from the beginning into believing that getting shot by
non-Americans is an honorable way to die, I think this sounds a bit
like Kamikaze craziness. If you choose to be a gun fighter, you may get
shot at. Is it ok that you want to kill non-American soldiers, because
the U.S. government says it’s ok, or does that still make you a killer?
Does it seem right to you that if you make it back home from the war,
whether dead or alive, America is supposed to honor you
unconditionally? Should it matter what kind of a person you are or
should we all just worship you as a hero because you chose to risk your
life to kill foreigners? I guess I never accepted the message that
sacrificing my life to the political agendas of the current president
equated to being a hero. Would God be pleased that I got my head blown
off in the name of American beliefs? Or that I blew up a building that
housed a family that felt different about God than I do? Who knows. I
think the biggest difference in beliefs for me is that I don’t think
that the dirt I stand on is worth dying for. I understand that these
men ( or boys) do what they do so I can do what I do, protecting the
American dream, but war is all about killing or dying while trying. I
have had the pleasure of setting foot in many other countries, and I’d
rather live in any one of them instead of dying in mine-even India, and
they poop on the side of the road there.
While looking out
the double decker bus window in Europe, we saw a lot of ancient castles
and churches that were hundreds of years old. It made me think of just
how long we’ve been killing each other over who’s right about God. It
seems totally unnecessary from where RVD sits. Has anyone been able to
prove that they were right about God anytime in their life? If so, I
must’ve missed it. Thumpers, have a field day with that.
The official street date for RVD TV DVD Vol 1 is May 5th, 2009. Go to BIG VISION ENTERTAINMENT ‘s web site for ordering info. The sneak peek DVD is still exclusively available at robvandam.com.
Can
you believe how common it is to hear of missing or found-dead children?
Before we left town, the headline news went from the Caylee Anthony
situation to Haleigh Cummings-both unimaginably horrible cases. Now
that we’re back, we’re learning all about the monster that killed that
sweet little 8 year-old girl, Sandra Cantu. I can’t even imagine how it
would feel to want to hurt such an innocent, helpless child...and I
have a hell of an imagination.
While we were in France, on
the news was the sentencing in Austria of Joseph Fritzl- who imprisoned
and raped his daughter in a hidden cell in his basement for 24 years!!
He fathered seven children that were his own grandchildren!! You guys
hear about this ass hole?
I made an offer last week on RVD
RADIO that’s worth repeating. We were talking about pedophiles, that
prey on innocent children and not only hurt them but maybe even kill
them. I said that anyone in the listening audience that may be one of
these monsters, and I’ll expand it to my blog reading audience, feel
free to call in to my show any time. There’s not enough accessible
advice for people like you and I’ll help you do the right thing, and
kill yourself live on the air.
That’s www..blogtalkradio.com/rvdradio or (347) 308-8754 on Wednesdays.
Now
that President Obama has given the green light on stem cell research,
expect a lot of cures to be “discovered”. They know they can do it,
they just have to make sure they can get paid for it.
Did
you guys notice how the question of legalizing marijuana for economic
reasons was snickered at and dismissed at Obama’s recent Q&A? It
was the most voted on question, and yet everyone in view on camera
laughed at it like it was a joke, even the president. We need money.
That’s the only reason pot is prohibited anyway-to protect financial
interests. It’s time to quit pouring that money out to the streets and
put it where we can use it. Tonight at 10p.m. ( 7 p.s.t.), I’ll be on
Geraldo at Large on Fox News to discuss this. 4/19/09
Besides
disagreeing with the presidents feelings on legalizing marijuana, I
like the guy. He’s a world leader, uniting several countries with a
common feeling of trust. He visited over seas while we were there too,
and welcomed France back to NATO for the first time in over 40 years. I
still don’t care about his dog though, and am tired of hearing about it
blown up on the news. What about you?
I haven’t been writing
much about Wrong Side of Town- the action movie written to showcase
RVD-because in typical Hollywood fashion, it has met delays that I
don’t want to bore you with.. Having said that, I will be updating you
from the set, providing I find the time as we are rolling into
production next week. Obviously, we have much to talk about here.
I’m
expecting to have a lot of fun filming this movie. I’ve always been a
fan of action movies, specifically fight movies. That’s why it’s so
cool to have participated in three martial arts movies and now to be
starring in an RVD movie. That’s what we dream chasers do. I think that
some people are wired to believe that the world is full of endless
opportunities while others feel that the dream life isn’t meant for
them. Some of us want it all and that drives us, while others are
content to watch from the sidelines, living vicariously through others.
Do you agree? If so, which are you?
I spoke with boy genius
and brain researcher Chris Nowinski about the possibility that
successful people are wired to think differently. I don’t know if
that’s a fact, but I do have an opinion. I’ve had my share of use and
abuse of what some call “vices”, but I’ve never felt like something was
stronger than me. Since I don’t know what it’s like to feel like I want
to quit something but can not because it is stronger than my mind, I
can only assume that people use this as an excuse to give themselves a
break. I only think I can. That’s seeing success. If I think I can not,
that’s failure-not success.
Have a festive 4-20 everybody!
If you need another holiday to add to your list, feel free to celebrate
April 20th along with many of us enthusiasts. Tell the boss you need
the day off. If for nothing else, my dad’s birthday! Yay! Food and
drink...or whatever. Cough.
Ok, go join my Twitter account so I can hit you up from the limo on the way to the Geraldo show later on.
Twitter@therealRVD..
Have an awesome day.
Benoit Balls
Well,
there’s no need to wait until we have our heads wrapped around this,
because I doubt that’ll happen, so here it is. I know that a monster
committed those terrible, unforgivable acts of horror. Just like
everyone who knew Chris Benoit, I can’t think of him as a monster. Not
Chris.
Chris was truly a role model’s role model. You simply had
to respect him and admire his focus and unmatched discipline. If I ever
got asked a question about who I looked up to the most in the business,
you guessed it. That’s me sharing a real feeling with you. Not talking
about bull shit that I have little interest in, like who would I like
most to wrestle with, or what’s my favorite color, but who I actually
looked up to in the dressing room. It’s Chris Benoit- in the ring and
in the dressing room and with his family.
The last time I talked
to Chris, a few weeks ago, he told me how much he respected me for
stepping away from the business. His message now comes to me from
beyond. He said “Some of us don’t know when to get out.” I told him
that I always held a little contempt for him telling me back in 1992
that I was a dumb-ass for wanting to quit WCW, and mentioned the irony.
Over
the last several years, on overseas tours I’d always see Chris in the
gym when the other guys were recovering from the night before. He’d
train hard and sometimes I’d see him allowing young wrestlers to follow
his lead and get a guaranteed killer workout. He took pride in what he
did and set a great example for others, myself included, to follow.
How
many murderers…baby murderers at that… are praised so highly by
EVERYONE who knew them? This is all so bizarre and new information
seems to come out every few hours but I can’t imagine we’ll ever
understand what happened here. It appears that Chris took the answers
with him. To tell you the honest truth, the easiest thing for me to
believe at this moment is that if no frame work was involved, he was
taken over by demonic energies with no compassion. I have to believe
this is often the case with such inhumane acts.
Nancy, Daniel
and Chris’ tragic deaths obviously have affected a lot of people. Just
remember, there’s enough hate in this world. Hateful thoughts do not
move us in the right direction, so make a conscious effort to remember
that. It’s important now and always.
